Moussa Dembélé
For the former Belgian player, see Mousa Dembélé | clubnumber = 45 (2013-2014) 25 (2014-2016) | debut = West Ham (a) (30 Nov 2013) | lastapp = Brentford (a) (30 Apr 2016) | firstgoal = Derby (h) (28 Oct 2014) | lastgoal = Ipswich (a) (19 Apr 2016) | joinedfrom = Paris Saint-Germain (youth), £284,000 - 15 Jul 2012 | leftfor = Celtic, £510,000 (compensation) - 1 Jul 2016 | leagueapps(gls) = 56 (15) | allapps(gls) = 64 (19) | otherclubs = Paris Saint-Germain (youth) (?-2012) | international = France U20 (2015-present) | apps(gls) = 4 (0) }} Moussa Dembélé was a striker at Fulham who was at the club from 2012 until 2016. Moussa initially raised many eyebrows upon signing in the summer of 2012, due to having the exact same name as then first team player Mousa Dembélé - the latter was soon to depart to London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain's academy, Moussa is considered a hot prospect in his home nation of France and has represented age groups up to the U20 squad to date. A powerful striker, he had scored an abundance of goals for the U18 squad and U21 squad before his introduction to the first team. Career Before Fulham Born in Pontoise, France, Moussa was signed for French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain at a young age, and impressed so much he began representing the national Under-16 side. Fulham (2012-2016) Moussa was picked up by Fulham on 15 July 2012, and was regarded as a major coup for the club, who had just been given Category One status (the highest status for a youth academy in England). He burst onto the scene with a hat-trick in just his second match for the club away to Crystal Palace U18. Shortly after, however, he got injured badly in training which led him to miss much of the first half of the season. He returned in a friendly against Leyton Orient U18 on 1st December 2012 after coming on as a substitute and scored a late goal in a 3-0 victory. It was the latter half of the season when he began thriving in the academy and scoring many goals including a second hat-trick away to Reading U18. Moussa was then picked to represent France U17 in their U17 European Championship qualifying matches in March 2013, which led him to miss the academy's U19 squad visit to the Dallas Cup in the United States. On 26 April 2013, he was selected to play in the U21's final group match of the season and came on to make his U21 debut against Sunderland in the 77th minute. In the U18's final match of the season - the final of the Premier U18 League, he scored an emphatic hat-trick to make Fulham the national U18 champions for the second year running. The following season he made a fantastic run of goalscoring in the U18 squad before a permanent run in the U21 squad in which he continued his prolific form. Due to an injury to Hugo Rodallega, and youngsters Marcello Trotta and Cauley Woodrow both away on loan, Moussa was included in the matchday squad for the first team match at home to Swansea on 23rd November 2013 and was given the number 45 shirt. He made his first team debut a week later, in a 3-0 loss away at West Ham, however, he pulled a hamstring after 30 seconds on the field and struggled to make an impact. He made his full debut in March 2014 as he started a Premier League match for the first time under Felix Magath, in what turned out to be a 3-1 loss at the hands of Everton. This was a shock selection after he had been given the nod over Darren Bent and Hugo Rodallega. He enjoyed more first team action during 2014-15, including his first senior goals as he netted a brace during a League Cup match against Derby County. He struggled to play regularly however, and spent more time with the U21 squad in the latter half of the season. It was the 2015-16 season in which Moussa saw success on a personal level, becoming the first choice striking partner of Ross McCormack and netting his first league goals of his professional career. Enjoying a good partnership up front with McCormack, Moussa was linked with a move away in January 2016, most notably to Tottenham Hotspur. A reported fee and contract was agreed by Fulham and Dembélé, though the deal collapsed over Spurs' refusal to send him back on loan to Craven Cottage for the remainder of 2015-16. After refusing to sign a new contract with the club, Moussa was open to offers from other clubs, and it was announced in June 2016 that he would join Celtic with Fulham receiving compensation of around £500,000. After Fulham Fulham Statistics Appearances U18 squad U19 squad U21 squad First team Disciplinary First team Fulham Matches U18 squad U19 squad U21 squad First team External links and references Category:Players Category:Forwards Category:France